Investment opportunities and development of TRACECA and SRCIC relations

14.12.2017

On 9-11 December 2017, upon the official invitation of Mr. Lu Jianzhong, Chairman of the China Silk Road Chamber of International Commerce (SRCIC), Mr. Mircea Ciopraga, TRACECA Secretary General, visited Beijing, China, within the Second Anniversary Celebration & General Assembly of SRCIC co-organized jointly with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

Within the framework of the Meeting of Mr. Lu and Mr. Ciopraga special attention was paid to bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanism between TRACECA and SRCIC based on the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding and discussion of a various spectrum of investment and commercial opportunities proposed by the international economic project – One Belt, One Road and supported by the Chinese Government.

Mr. Ciopraga mentioned that the 2nd Anniversary Celebration of the SRCIC creation encouraged in every possible way the implementation of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative in the context of involvement of the interested and relevant business and investments communities of the Silk Road countries and beyond in the beneficial dialogue.

TRACECA Investment Forum offers wide opportunities for the development of a dialogue between TRACECA, international financial markets and transport operators, being an attractive platform for discussing topical issues relevant to a competitive regional transport system and presentation of priority projects.

Total investment portfolio of the past TRACECA Investment Forums, held on 2010 and 2012 in Brussels, amounted to more than 17 billion euros for 31 projects. And, of course, the most important achievement of the Forums was practical implementation of projects. Sixteen projects out of the submitted ones found funding sources. The donors of TRACECA projects were represented by the World Bank, EBRD, EIB, the Islamic Development Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency JICA, Export Bank (Czech Republic), Eximbank (PRC) and state budgets of some countries.

In view of the prospects and effectiveness of the Investment Forums, the TRACECA countries made a decision to continue working in the given format and to hold the Third TRACECA Investment Forum, which will take place in 2018.

In this context, some of project proposals could interest the China Investment Fund, and TRACECA is ready to welcome its involvement as well as provision of SRCIC and its partners’ representation in the high-level Investment Forum that will make significant contribution to strengthening of cooperation in the trade-transport field in our region.

In his turn, Mr. Lu assured Mr. Ciopraga in his consent and support for attraction the representatives of the China Investment Fund as well as those of SRCIC.